#HawksMailbag - August 6

Answering your on the field and off the field questions about the club on a weekly basis.

Welcome to another edition of #HawksMailbag here on Seahawks.com.

Thank you to everyone who submitted questions this week. The response nearly tripled what we had in our inaugural edition. So, here's a look at what came through during week two of our #HawksMailbag...

That's a difficult question to answer. It depends on how other wide receivers, particularly Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate, perform in Harvin's absence. But I do think offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell would feel comfortable inserting Harvin into the starting lineup upon his return. After all, Harvin was featured extensively as a receiver out of the slot, runner out of the backfield, and returner on kickoffs when Bevell held the offensive reigns in their time together with the Minnesota Vikings. It's hard to believe the club holding Harvin back, when he's healthy. This is a nice lead-in to our next question...

What is the earliest estimated time that Percy Harvin will be back in the lineup #hawksmailbag

While an exact timetable has not yet been specified, head coach Pete Carroll recently said in an interview with 710 AM ESPN Seattle's "Brock and Danny" that whatever the timetable may be, the team will try to get Harvin back on the field at the earlier end of his recovery spectrum.

"We're going to look at the timeframes and when they say whatever it is, if it's three to four months or whatever, we're going to go to three, and if it's something less than that we're gonna go to the early part of it and hope that he can pull it off," Carroll said on the show. "He'll get great support and backing to get this done and we'll see how fast we can return him."

That mystery came to a close when Rice addressed the media upon his return late last week, confirming he flew 10,000 miles for a 20-minute platelet-rich plasma-like procedure in Switzerland.

"Just help the patellar tendonitis (calm) down a little bit,” Rice said of the goal of the procedure. “I’ve had a sore knee for quite a while. I’m just working on it here in the training room. They’re doing a great job on in here with the trainers, so we’ll see where it goes from here."

Rice has been back on the practice field, and said it takes a couple of weeks to notice the effects of the procedure.

We addressed this question in last week's mailbag, but it looks like wide receiver Golden Tate is going to be the guy in the punt return game. Tate, cornerbacks Will Blackmon and Jeremy Lane, wide receiver Bryan Walters and rookie running back Christine Michael have factored into the kick return game throughout training camp. Thursday night's preseason opener against the San Diego Chargers should give us a greater indication as to which way the club is leaning.

#HawksMailbag what is the state of the WRs and TEs after an offseason of injuries?

The injury to wide receiver Percy Harvin will surely free up more opportunities for the rest of the receivers, namely Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate. Harvin was an elite addition, but he was also a luxury to a team that already felt comfortable with their depth at the position.

Tight end on the other hand, is a little bit thinner. Head coach Pete Carroll said he is hopeful veteran Zach Miller can return from a sore foot in time for the team's third preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. Miller is an important piece of the Seahawks' offensive puzzle and was an absolute beast in the team's final playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons. No tight end on the roster outside of Miller has caught a pass at the NFL level. Rookie Luke Willson, along with second-year pros Sean McGrath and Cooper Helfet will earn plenty of reps this preseason as they compete for the No. 2 spot.

Rookie Christine Michael is listed as the No. 3 back behind Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin on the team's depth chart and listed as the No. 2 back for the team's first preseason game against the San Diego Chargers (with Turbin listed as injured), but Michael has looked like the No. 1 back at times throughout training camp.

Turbin has been sidelined with a foot injury and that has led to more opportunities for Michael, who has factored into the kick return game as well. Michael should garner a bulk of the team's preseason carries and it will be fun to watch his combination of physicality and speed at the NFL level.

I talked with Chris Harper last week and he said he feels comfortable in the offense under the tutelage of quarterback Russell Wilson, but admitted he has had difficulty adjusting to the speed and physicality of NFL defenses. Press coverage from a defensive back was not common in college for Harper, but it's an everyday occurrence going against Seattle's "Legion of Boom" secondary at practice.

Expect Harper to get plenty of snaps throughout the preseason to help him adjust to the speed of the game. At 6-foot-1 and 234 pounds Harper provides a big, strong, and physical target unlike any other on the Seahawks roster.

This matchup would surely attract a lot of fans and some circus-like media attention, but don't expect this one to happen when the Seahawks take on the Buccaneers in Week 9 at CenturyLink Field. Even though Richard Sherman did play wide receiver at Stanford before making the switch to cornerback, I think head coach Pete Carroll is perfectly content having the All-Pro Sherman stay on the defensive side of the football.

The 12th Man flag raiser usually comes as a surprise on gameday, but there are special occasions where the raiser is revealed prior to the day of the game. For example, last season World War II veteran Joe Moser was announced as the team's representative to raise the flagfour days prior to kickoff.

Executive chef Mac McNabb makes sure the players, coaches, and staff do not go hungry at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. You really can't go wrong with any meal McNabb and his crew cooks up, but here's a quick look at some of the players' favorites:

A gallery of all the We Are 12 images showcasing the beauty of the region, the breadth of our fan base, and the subtle galvanization of the Seattle Seahawks community. We are 12 everywhere and everyday.